The Shift: Book II of the Wildfire Saga (19 page)

"Yeah, I know that, that's where we came from," replied Cooper.

"And I assume that's where we’re going…" said Boatner.
 
He appeared in the office doorway and frowned at Mike.
 
"I understand they have a top-notch medical facility there.
 
Albert tried to get me to do my research from there a few months ago.
 
Should've taken him up on his offer.”
 
He sighed.
 
“At any rate, we need to get your friend there as fast as possible.
 
He doesn’t have much time."

Mike groaned on the ground and clutched at Cooper's arm.

"Anybody ever say you have a shitty bedside manner?" growled Cooper.
 
He looked down at Mike. "Hang in there, brother, we’re gonna get you out of here."

"I suppose I don't need to tell you, that you should probably isolate him from the rest of us…" Boatner said in a quiet voice.
 
“Well, at least from your men.”

“Really?
 
How do you propose we do that?
 
You got any containment suits down here?"

"
Found the tunnel, Coop!
 
You guys ready?
 
Let’s get the hell out of here
…" said Charlie's voice.

Cooper looked down the wall in time to see Swede emerge from a hole where the access panel Charlie had removed had been.
 
He stood and brushed drywall dust from his shoulders.
 

"
We’re good to go, man.
 
Once you get through the wall here, it opens up and we can stand.
 
Not a very big tunnel, but it's enough that I can stand.
 
Goes about 100 feet, then there's a sewer access ladder heading up to the surface."

Charlie emerged behind Swede and stood, covered in cobwebs and white dust.
 
"
We ready?"
 
He wiped the ballistic visor on his helmet and looked around.

"Go on," grunted Mike, his jaw clenched tight.
 
"Leave me and get the hell out of here…"

"You know I can't do that," said Cooper quietly.

"If you don't," Mike hissed, "you'll all get sick and die, like me."

"Shut the hell up.
 
Nobody's dying on my watch."
 
Cooper turned to look over his shoulder and saw that the virologist had returned to his workstation.
 
Charlie stood over his shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?"
asked Charlie.

"I'm uploading the data—"

"
Uploading?
 
We don't have time for this. We have to get out of here.”

A red light lit up on the far wall above the elevator entrance and began to flash.
 
A soft beeping sound echoed through the lab.
 
The lights dimmed.
 
Cooper stood and brought his submachine gun to his shoulder, covering the elevator.
 
For a split second, he missed the automatic targeting reticle projected by his helmet’s HUD.
 
However, the greater visibility gained by going helmet-less more than made up for that little tech-treat.
 
"Doc, what the hell's going on?"

Boatner froze in the middle of the room.
 
He tapped a few keys on the nearest computer and the large wall screen opposite him came to life showing the image of five, heavily-armed German soldiers walking down the main hallway up in the CPS building.
 
They checked every door they passed and shined flashlights through every window.
 
They were working their way inexorably toward the janitor’s closet.

“
We’re running out of time…
” warned Charlie.
 

"Okay, that settles it.
 
Doc, get your shit moving or shut it down.
 
Now.
 
We don't have time to wait any longer."
 
Cooper slung his rifle behind his back and bent to pull Mike to his feet.

"The files aren't done—" Boatner protested as he pointed to the computer screen.

"
Times up,”
growled Charlie.
 
“The Germans are gonna find
—"
 

Charlie turned to look at Cooper as they heard the elevator begin its climb up toward the waiting Germans.
 
"
We’re definitely outta time, now
.”
 

"Doc, how long do you need?" asked Cooper.

Boatner turned from Charlie to face Cooper.
 
"Just a few more minutes—it's almost done.
 
I don't know if we’ll have another chance at this.
 
If something happens to us before we reach Denver——"

Cooper glanced at the wall monitor and saw the Germans already heading into the elevator.
 
“They’re going to be here any second…”

“We can’t let them take this facility!
 
There’s too much sensitive information stored in here—” moaned Boatner.

Swede," said Cooper, never taking his eyes off the screen.
 
"Get your ass down that tunnel and secure the exfil point.
 
I don't want any surprises."

"
Hooyah
.”

"Dr. Boatner, gather whatever you need to take with you and head down that escape tunnel.”

"What are you going to do?"

“Now!” Cooper barked.
 
He turned Boatner around and pushed him a little harder than he had meant toward the office.
 
He shot a glance at the wall monitor.
 
It showed an empty hallway.

Cooper made his decision and turned back Charlie.
 
"Semtex!"

“
Finally
…”
 
Charlie swung one of his hip bags around and pulled out a block of gray, plastic explosive.
 
He tossed it to Cooper and pulled out another.

"I want a delayed charge, 30 second fuse.
 
Set yours over by the door—I’ll set mine over here by the main computer station.
 
Hopefully that'll be enough to take this room out."

"
Roger that."

As Cooper worked to quickly assemble the charge, he shot a glance at the elevator.
 
The door would open any second, now, he was sure of it.

"
All set!"
 
called out Charlie.
 
He had already lifted Mike to his feet and was moving to the emergency exit tunnel.

Cooper slapped his charge in place and pinned it.
 
Damn, I'm getting old
and
slow…
 

He finished setting his charge.
 
“I'm right behind you."
 
Cooper grunted in pain as his right knee protested the sudden movement and nearly gave out as he joined Mike and Charlie at the tunnel entrance.

“Leave me… can’t risk infecting anyone else…” mumbled Mike.

"Shut up—I’m still in my suit
," said Charlie as he propped his shoulder under Mike’s left arm.

Cooper glanced at his dive watch.
 
The fuses were set to go off in 15 seconds.
 
The noise from inside the elevator shaft had stopped.
 
Cooper ducked under Mike’s right arm and he and Charlie hustled their semi-conscious teammate down the tunnel.
 

"Swede, how we looking?" grunted Cooper as he struggled under Mike’s weight
.
 
Shit—I forgot my helmet…

"
All clear, but I can see lights around the front of the building.
 
Another vehicle just pulled up out front.
 
Looks like the Germans are
—"

Cooper felt the explosion before he heard it—a split second before the tunnel’s access panel was blown into them riding a wall of heat and fire.
 
His world went orange, then white, then black.

C
HAPTER
10

C
HAD
LOOKED
UP
FROM
the dead body at his feet and gripped Yuri’s knife with white knuckles.
 
He glanced at the blonde woman next to him.
 
She ejected the magazine from her captured AK-47, examined the contents briefly, then slammed it home and pulled back on the charging handle.
 
It looked automatic, like she had done so a thousand times before. She slipped the sling over her shoulder in a well-practiced, efficient movement and winked at him.

Who the hell is this woman?

"Okay, here we go,” she said in her soft, yet somehow cheerful accent.
 

Despite the danger they faced, something about her voice was soothing—it made him forget for a moment the chaos swirling around them.
 
Or maybe his lack of focus was just a side effect of all the blood loss.
 

She was tall—almost as tall as Chad—just shy of 6 feet.
 
She had long, honey-blonde hair with gentle waves, tied back into a practical ponytail that hung halfway down her back.
 
Her face was marred by a bruise on her right cheek, but was otherwise unblemished.
 
13 had the most piercing blue eyes he'd ever seen.

Gunfire erupted down the hall.
 
Chad blinked as 13 dropped into a crouch and brought her rifle up to her shoulder.
 
Without taking her eyes off the open door, she whispered, "Stay with me. We need to be quiet."

Chad had never wished to be holding a gun more in his entire life.
 
Why couldn't Yuri have been carrying a gun instead of keys and a knife?
 
He dropped down and crouched behind 13.
 

Chad glanced at the Russian blade in his hand.
 
Fat lot of good this will do if someone comes up behind us with a machine gun
.
 
He shuddered involuntarily as rifle shots echoed up and down the corridor.

13 moved forward in silence and peered up and down the hallway, her ponytail swishing over her back.
 
She slipped her hand over her shoulder and casually motioned for him to follow.
 
She moved left and took two steps down the hallway before Chad put a hand on her shoulder.
 
She spun immediately, pushing Chad against the wall and swung the rifle past him to point behind them.
 
When she realized there was no threat, those intense blue eyes—which he now saw were flecked with green—turned on Chad.

"The infirmary."
 
He pointed a hand down the hallway and cleared his throat.
 
Why was it still hard to focus?
 
"They've got…uh, they’ve got a lot of my blood.
 
We need to do something about it.
 
Right?"

She nodded and moved briskly down the hallway.
 
They reached the far end and Chad tapped her on the shoulder, then pointed to the closest door on the left.
 
She motioned for him to grab the door handle.
 
Chad took one last look at her face, waiting for the confirmation to proceed.
 
She settled her cheek against the stock of the rifle, aimed about chest high, and nodded.

Chad turned the knob and flung the door open as she charged into the lab.
 
He pushed himself back against the wall and glanced down the hallway.
 
Two silhouettes appeared at the far end.
 
One shouted and bits of drywall chased Chad through the door as bullets began to strike where he had been standing.
 
He slammed the door shut and placed his back against it, his heart thundering away in his chest.
 
He slid the lock home, hoping it would at least slow them down for
 
a few minutes.
 

"Can't go back that way!"

Chad looked up to see the Russian doctor standing at the far wall, his hands up, babbling in Russian.
 
13’s rifle barrel was pressed straight into the man's chest.
 
She cut off whatever he was saying with what sounded like a sharp question of her own.
 
The man looked shocked and rattled off a quick reply.
 

Chad took one step away from the door and the rifle barked.
 
The Russian twitched like a puppet on a string and blood smeared the wall behind him.
 
The body fell to the floor and 13 turned away without any sign of remorse.
 
Chad stood there, transfixed, as he watched the doctor twitch on the floor for a few seconds.
 
Red-black blood puddled underneath the body.

The reinforced door shuddered.
 
Angry voices shouted in the hallway and Chad took a few tentative steps backward.

"Over here!" 13 called out.
 
"That door won’t last long."